[mamato3cherubs]

I was just wondering how this affects a womans birth choices. Im sure if I researched it I could find more info online or in a text but just thought this might be faster.<br>
Does a positive rule out homebirth? Birth center delivery? I know that it rules out waterbirth, at least from what my logic and local hearsay tell me.<br><br>
How do you handle it routinly?<br>
thanks!

 

[memiles]

Not sure about the "rules", but I had a homebirth (and planned waterbirth, but I got out of the tub and couldn't get myself back in) while GBS positive. My mw recommended oil of oregano therapy once my water broke.

 

[mamato3cherubs]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>memiles</strong></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Not sure about the "rules", but I had a homebirth (and planned waterbirth, but I got out of the tub and couldn't get myself back in) while GBS positive. My mw recommended oil of oregano therapy once my water broke.</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
did you receive any other treatments to help keep you from passing it on to the baby? I only ask because I dont think most of the public realizes hoe easily it is passed on and how dangerous it is to the baby. I think unless you work with these cases or are close to someone involved in a situation that it affected, that you would know I guess

 

[WendyC]

Well - I was GBS positive and we decided to do the "garlic cure" which basically meant that for three nights I placed a clove of garlic up inside me - its suppose to work miracles and totally rid you of infection - but when I tested again after that, I still had GBS - AND I smelled funky! Its worth a try - ask your midwife about it.<br><br>
So, since I had a pretty killer infection & my membranes ruptured before labor started we decided to do IV antibiotics at home - she was a direct entry midwife but was trained in how to do IVs and whatnot.<br><br>
It didn't stop me from getting in and out of the birthing tub.<br><br>
My water did break before labor started - something that happens more often in GBS moms because the bacteria can go up and work on weakening the bag of, but I was 40+ weeks at that point and it didn't matter too much.

 

[WendyC]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>mamato3cherubs</strong></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">I dont think most of the public realizes hoe easily it is passed on and how dangerous it is to the baby. I think unless you work with these cases or are close to someone involved in a situation that it affected, that you would know I guess</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
There is a lot of debate on this - It isn't that easily passed on to the baby. I had a raging infection and Ella was perfectly fine. One in 3 women has GBS and only 1 out of 1000 of those babies gets infected and out of those babies 1 in 1000 gets seriously or deathly ill.<br><br>
For a full term healthy infant, it isn't that much of a concern - they have found that the following things increase the risk of the infant contracting the bacteria:<br><br>
- Prematurity<br>
- Rupture of membranes for longer than 12 hours<br>
- Mother has a fever before or during labor<br>
- Rupture of membranes before the onset of labor<br><br>
Since my membranes ruptured before labor started I decided to go with a much stronger and harsher treatment than originally planned (IV antibiotics at home) If labor had come on naturally - we would have done an antibiotic douch/rinse, but thats about it.<br><br>
If you think about it, getting in the water isn't going to make much of a difference in spreading the infection - your vaginal canal does not fill with water when you get into the bath. What WILL make the infection spread is frequent vaginal exams - so really, I would be much more concerned about that than about being in a tub of water.

 

[mamato3cherubs]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>WendyC</strong></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">There is a lot of debate on this - It isn't that easily passed on to the baby. I had a raging infection and Ella was perfectly fine. One in 3 women has GBS and only 1 out of 1000 of those babies gets infected and out of those babies 1 in 1000 gets seriously or deathly ill.<br><br>
If you think about it, getting in the water isn't going to make much of a difference in spreading the infection - your vaginal canal does not fill with water when you get into the bath. What WILL make the infection spread is frequent vaginal exams - so really, I would be much more concerned about that than about being in a tub of water.</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
Im following you on the water thing. I just know that the birth center we had here with a few really good miwives and the hospital where I delivered would nto let you have a waterbirth if you were GBS+.<br><br>
as for the stats you quote, i dont believe it one bit. Not saying this personally to you just the stats. I have a close aunt that is a respitory therapist in a busy NICU and she has told me about many, many cases where the babies that become infected die. at one point it was nearly 1 in 10 that were infected. I know, everyone will start to try to criticise the level of care or something, Im not trying to go there. I was + with my first 2 deliveries, but not my 3rd. I would not have chosen a lesser treatment than the iv antibiotics I received. I did my research on the disease itself. And have seen what devistation it can so needlessly cause families. Just not from the angle of alternative birth options.<br><br>
Thank you for sharing as I really was just wanting to know if midwives would take on a situation requiring the iv antibiotic in a homebirth situation. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">

 

[WendyC]

Who was it that said "there are lies, damn lies, and statistics" ??? Good motto to live by! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"><br><br>
I had heard that the stastics are rising especially in hospital settings - one theory is that scalp electrobe that they place on the baby's head to monitor heartrate opens up a wound for infection to spread to the baby - so if you think about it, it makes since that they would be seeing a rise in infections at a busy NICU unit. Also a NICU unit would have more premature infants, more early rupture of membrane complications and whatnot.<br><br>
Its still pretty rare in the homebirth community. My midwife had delivered 1000+ babies and still hasn't seen one - doesn't mean that she (or I ) take the matter lightly, its always something to be concerned about.

 

[Thmom]

Those statistics Wendy is siting is what I have seen from the CDC. I'm sure they keep much better records than your aunt.<br>
There was also a study done ages ago that showed that most babies with GBS did not have a positive mother meaning that the GBS had to be contracted from somewhere else. The conclusion was hospital staff with poor handwashing.<br>
75% of the American populace has GBS, it's actually a very common intestinal bacteria and I would love to see research on the postive impact GBS has on our intestianl tracks. I can't imagine that so many people have it and it not serve some purpose.<br><br>
I choose not to get tested and there for not to be treated. The risks the ABX pose are IMO more likely than those posed by the GBS.